Especially in the NFL where players age out fast. You have to move on from some...or the very least...add to them.
Keeping the same core in tact for several years is something a SB contender might entertain. But that's because they typically have a proven franchise QB and have established a very high floor. The Colts have neither right now. And even then, we see what happens to these teams. The Manning teams went from a SB to a 2-win team in two years. Not saying the Colts will suffer that fate again, but there is considerable downside.
When you haven't established that floor, it seems like doing the same thing and expecting different results. And it does result in overvaluing the impact of your own draft picks. This has even trickled down into the fanbase as well. We see it every offseason with how these guys are hyped before taking a snap. I don't remember ever hearing this much about Colts rookies until Ballard got here. The content is great, but it's just so much unchecked hype.
If no players but Davis and Flacco had interest in signing with Indy during the whole FA period this year, then we have more problems than we realize. That's the thing, I liked the draft more than most on here. However, it's contingent on signing a DB in FA to override the fact that we didn't draft a starting DB to help the secondary.
No one with a straight face can say the secondary is fixed with our young players returning from injuries. Not even Ballard knows that 100%, and people on the forum certainly don't know that. I'm going to go the route that our secondary is a weakness with the backing of facts that QBs destroy us in the pass game, no matter how good or bad they are.
When you have cap space open like we do after restructuring Buckner's contract, you can go after a veteran DB. Maybe we do, maybe we don't. However, if we don't, we are playing with fire. We are putting our hopes that our secondary is better after 1 year of development, and a 5th and 6th round rookie may make the team and make a difference. Most of the time, that isn't happening.